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‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’ Trailer: “It Was Life”

After much critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, the trailer for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is finally out.

I knew I was interested in watching it since I heard Olivia Cookewould be playing the role of the “dying girl,” Rachel. I’ve been a fan of hers since I first saw her in another one of my favorites, Bates Motel, in which she also plays a young girl dealing with an illness. Although we haven’t gotten a chance to see her in a very emotional state in the show, the trailer gives us a glimpse that this film will definitely cause many tears.

Co-starring alongside her is Greg, played by Thomas Mann, her classmate who tries to bar himself from any emotions in order to not get hurt in the long-run. They strike up a friendship, which incites some of those feelings he’s so scared to admit he has. As his friend Earl (RJ Cyler) is quick to point out, he can’t think of Rachel as a burden. He takes on the challenge to create a short film for her before the inevitable happens.

Judging from the trailer, I can sense undertones of a Wes Anderson type of inspiration. The shots are symmetrical, the colors are vibrant, and the focus is on young adults forced to cope with and overcome incredibly stressful events.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the uniquely funny, moving story of Greg, a high school senior who is trying to blend in anonymously, avoiding deeper relationships as a survival strategy for navigating the social minefield that is teenage life. He even describes his constant companion Earl, with whom he makes short film parodies of classic movies, as more of a ‘co-worker’ than a best friend. But when Greg’s mom insists he spend time with Rachel – a girl in his class who has just been diagnosed with cancer – he slowly discovers how worthwhile the true bonds of friendship can be.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will be released in theaters on June 12, 2015 and make sure to read the novel it’s based on by Jesse Andrews.